Ask Me Help Desk - One room at my home does not have any electrical power

HI,
I am hoping someone might be able to give me a hint what is worong with my electricity. Everywhere in my home here is electricity, but one room does not have any power at all. We checked the circuit breaker and all looks OK nothing is popped. However, in anoher room besides mine the electrical power does not work neither when we attach a surge protector but if we attach the TV or something else directly tpo outlet it does work, this is just in other room but in ours the electricity is completdly gone and circuit breaker looks fine nothing is popped. Please, can someone give me an idea of what to do/
Thanks
:)

Is your house old? Could there be a broken wire? Because if all the circuit breakers are fine, then something has interrupted the flow of electricity to that one room. If one room doesn't work with a surge protector, that suggests something is flipping the surge protector off when you plug it in. I am not competent to say more than this. :) I would call an electrician. Hopefully you will get a better answer soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom4ever

HI,
I am hoping someone might be able to give me a hint what is worong with my electricity. Everywhere in my home here is electricity, but one room does not have any power at all. we checked the circuit breaker and all looks ok nothing is popped. However, in anoher room besides mine the electrical power does not work neither when we attach a surge protector but if we attach the tv or something else directly tpo outlet it does work, this is just in other room but in ours the electricity is completdly gone and circuit breaker looks fine nothing is popped. please, can someone give me an idea of what to do/
thanks
:)

Hi, mom4ever!

I'm not an electrical expert. However, you did mention that the circuit breaker looks fine and nothing is popped. With my circuit breakers, they might look fine, however that doesn't mean that one of them hasn't been tripped. I usually have to physically test each one to see if one has tripped.

Have you physically tested the circuit breakers at all, please?

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by asking

Is your house old? Could there be a broken wire? Because if all the circuit breakers are fine, then something has interrupted the flow of electricity to that one room. If one room doesn't work with a surge protector, that suggests something is flipping the surge protector off when you plug it in. I am not competent to say more than this. :) I would call an electrician. Hopefully you will get a better answer soon.

I guess can be considered old since it was built in 1970 :confused:
I believe that the new space heater we got had something to do with this, since many times when we plug the heater the lights will dim or will go off. Howeer, the heater was not plugged in when this happened. I have no elecriity in one room at all and in other room, if I plug a surge protector it does not work.Thanks for the advice:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clough

Hi, mom4ever!

I'm not an electrical expert. However, you did mention that the circuit breaker looks fine and nothing is popped. With my circuit breakers, they might look fine, however that doesn't mean that one of them hasn't been tripped. I usually have to physically test each one to see if one has tripped.

Have you physically tested the circuit breakers at all, please?

Thanks!

My husband informed me that he tested one by one... I hate to think how much an electrician will charge me for this but I am hoping someone might give me a hint, but I thank you for your help:)

Check breaker first. Now 101 electrical. Ground ( bare or green) Netural ( white) Hot ( Black) you say your surge protector does't work? Possible cuases, No ground ( Open) or ground is working and the nuteral is open. The hot can use the ground to complete A circuit. Before you tackel this go to hardeware store and they a great device that you plug into the outlet anf it has three lights that lights up on it. These lights will tell you open ground open nuteral, and much more it will even test a G.F.I outlet it about a 10 dollat iteam. This will narrow a lot down. Since there a problem with the sugre outlet this might be on the feed line to other room, Look at panel box and see if its labeled. How new is the house. I get into a lot of Knob and Tube ( old Stuff) on jobs. By tester and bet back and better information is needed. I hope I can help better then Not enough room here for a book to cover it all for possibilitys. PS. The ground and netural is actually the same thing. They are both tied togther in the panel box bond strip.

I believe the problem will be a loose, and possibly now burnt wire connection at one receptacle.

I usually find this at the last working outlet on the circuit before the outlets that have no power, or the first non working outlet before all the others that are not working.

Back in the 70's, it was popular to use connections at outlets that the wire is plugged in, pushed into small holes on the back of the receptacle. This type of connection has several names,Whiz Wire, Quik Wire, Stab in the Back, etc.

Unfortunately, some electricians still do this type of connection nowadays, esp in subdivision homes that need to get built quick and for cheap. Devices are now made better to help prevent this problem, but it still happens.

These are very prone to loosening. Can be either the hot or neutral wire.

The use of a heater can exasperate this connection, making it worse, and will cause heat at the connection, burning the connection even more.

To find this bad connection will take knowledge of how the circuit is wired, which outlet is the last working outlet or the first non working outlet. You will also need to know which circuit breaker supplies this circuit, as even thou an outlet is not working, it can still have power inside, so each time you pull out an outlet, shut the breaker off.

Only turn on the breaker to test the wires with a voltage tester or meter.

To do this testing, I would not waste my money on a plug in tester, but one with test leads. All a plug in tester will tell you is that the outlet is not working properly, which you already know.

Be prepared to change the outlet that has the bad connection, electric heaters are popular to cause heat at loose connections, and if this is the case, the outlet with the bad connection may be damaged.

As you pull out outlets looking for the bad connection, it may be wise to change any push in connection to wrap around the screw connection, as handling the outlets and wires can cause more loose connections.

There maybe a chance that the outlets only allow push in connections, there were some cheap outlets installed that don't have screw connections on the sides, only push in the back type.

If you have the skills to work with wires and outlets, and figure out how the circuit is wired, you should be able to find this problem.

Just be sure to shut the breaker off while handling outlets and wiring, only turning on to test wires and outlets.

The bad connection can be a splice also, more likely the push in connection, but anything is possible.

If you do end up needing to call in an electrician, he/she should be able to find this problem in less than an hour. Ask how much a service call charge is, and how much time on the job is included in a service call. Be sure the electrician is set up for service, and not just construction. Any electrician that advertises 24 hour service should be helpful, quick, and fair.

Now speaking of Electrical 101, as mentioned by 21Boat, the statement:

Quote:

PS. The ground and netural is actually the same thing.

is not true.

A neutral is actually a current carrying conductor, that has been grounded to keep any voltage to zero.

A " ground" in circuit wiring, is called an equipment ground, this is the green or bare wire, and is for the purpose of safety, to carry any fault current due to a short circuit from hot to any exposed metal in a circuit, device, applaince, etc.

By allowing any and all fault current to flow, will allow a circuit breaker of fuse to open quickly, and shut power to the circuit, to prevent shocks and fire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 21boat

PS. The ground and netural is actually the same thing. They are both tied togther in the panel box bond strip.

I know TK commented on this, but I want to reinforce it.
This is BAD and DANGEROUS advice! The ground and neutral are NOT the same thing, and to say so shows a real lack of understanding of this aspect of AC wiring systems.
The fact that they are terminated at the same spot in the panel is incidental. They are two distinctly different things!

If that 1 receptacle that has top working and bottom not, and is not "half switched" break may be the tab on side of receptacle or a jumper in place of tab.
Like TK says, if they are "backwired" a potential problem exist. If it was me, I would change out to Decora Style recetilces instead of removing 30 year old recepticles and connecting correctly. Should have experience with electricity.

Just to inject one more concern, Aluminum wiring may have been used in your home. This type of wiring can easily cause connectors to loosen and sometimes arc or flat out melt the insulation causing bare conductors to contact one another.

Excellent point Don:

Quote:

Originally Posted by donf

Just to inject one more concern, Aluminum wiring may have been used in your home. This type of wiring can easily cause connectors to loosen and sometimes arc or flat out melt the insulation causing bare conductors to contact one another.

Just one more variable that Mom needs to look for as a possible reason for a loose connection.

I need to remember this.